Posts Tagged ‘biblical interpretation’
Spirit Day 2014: How We Can Prevent Bullying
Four years ago, beginning in October of 2010, we in the United States saw a rash of gay teenager suicides—Asher Brown, age 13, in Houston; Seth Walsh, also 13, in California; Billy Lucas and Justin Aaberg, both 15, from Indiana and Minnesota; and Tyler Clementi, age 18, a freshman just beginning his studies at Rutgers…
Read MoreA Queer Climate Change?
The streets of New York were thronging with people in the first ever Climate March on September 21. Demonstrators had a message for world leaders at the United Nations Climate Summit beginning that week: approve a Climate Treaty that includes strong actions. It was the largest Climate Change March in history with over 400,000 people…
Read More“I Had No Idea Your Blog Was Gay”
After posting the link to my blog, Progressive Christian Reflections, last week on a number of Facebook pages, I took our dog Hobbes to the park and began to wonder what I would write for my next post. I returned to find an e-mail that simply said, “Unsubscribe me. I had no idea that your…
Read MoreSin vs. Shame—How I Learned To Let Myself Be Loved
As a kid, I was a big reader. My favorite books centered around characters who would take off to live alone in the wild, sometimes with a furry friend for company. Often these characters felt that they were different from everyone else—like they didn’t belong. Many kids grow up feeling this way, and this sense…
Read MoreCelibacy Shouldn’t Be The New Ex-Gay Ministry
Embracing celibacy as an appropriate religious calling to be a God-abiding LGBTQ Christian is now on the rise. And I didn’t know my sexual orientation was still up for debate—no joke. Progress has been made on federal and state levels concerning LGBTQ civil rights, but many churches, especially in certain religious conservative circles, are far…
Read More10 Anti-LGBT Things You Can’t Do While Following Jesus
As I say in all of my “10 Things You Can’t Do While Following Jesus” articles, this is by no means meant to be a complete list, but it’s a decent place to start. Also, this is not to say that people are unable to do these things when they are following Jesus, as much…
Read MoreDamages: The Effects Of Spiritual Abuse
Trigger Warning: Discussion of suicide and self-harm There is so much blood on the hands of Christians. From the Crusades to the modern anti-gay laws of Uganda, we are drenched in a legacy of blood. Perhaps it is fitting. After all, Christianity was born out of blood spilled on the cross. I had heard all…
Read MoreA Sanctuary Of Rainbows
I have never in my life heard a Pentecost sermon that began in total honesty. A Holy Week homily can easily start with “It is finished.” And who can resist the back-and-forth that begins Easter Sunday sermons around the world: “He is risen!” followed by an emotional “He is risen, indeed!” The Pentecost story gives…
Read MoreSpreading Hope At Spokane’s Pride: A Pastor’s Testimony
Photo (l-r): Rev. Deb Conklin, Rev. Liv Larson Andrews, Rev. Chris Snow, and Pastor Jan Shannon It is the evening after the 23rd Annual Spokane Pride Parade and Festival, and I’m tired. For 23 years, Spokane’s LGBTQ community have bravely taken to the streets in a march for inclusion and respect, and for 23 years, there have been Christian…
Read MorePride Month: Church Of The Village Prays The LGBT Way Of The Cross
The way of the cross is an ancient tradition that retraces the steps of Jesus, remembering his suffering but also remembering the love, hope, and promise into which we are invited to enter. During Pride Month, the United Methodist Church of the Village is following this tradition by reflecting on the ways Christ has suffered in the…
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